


Hartmon Shuffle-Up

by ThoughtsCascade



Series: Shuffle Challenges [1]
Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Gen, M/M, iPod Meme
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-15
Updated: 2016-05-15
Packaged: 2018-06-08 14:47:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,056
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6859354
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThoughtsCascade/pseuds/ThoughtsCascade
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ten drabbles centered on Hartley and Cisco, written while listening to ten different songs.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hartmon Shuffle-Up

**Author's Note:**

> Remember the iPod shuffle challenges from the days of old, back on Fanfiction.net? Yup, this would be one of those. I find it's one of the easiest ways to get myself actually centered on writing. All of these are unedited excluding typos, and written only for the duration of the song. Started when the song starts, finished as the song finishes, thus the length. Each is headed by the name of the song. It should also be noted this was written pre S2, and thus before that huge timeline change concerning Hartley or before we knew what happened post Thawne's erasure. So, here ya go!

**1\. Tacky by Weird Al**

Cisco made a grand gesture into his apartment.

Hartley scoffed. Maybe If he acted normal, this wouldn't seem so weird.

"So I have bunk beds..." Cisco started.

Or not. He'd just have to deal then. Looking around the apartment, it suited Cisco.

No, Hartley couldn't do this. He shook his head.

Cisco misinterpreted the action, as always.

**2\. If I had you Adam Lambert**

Cisco walked into the bar. Caitlin laughed, and Barry rolled his eyes and spoke with a grin, "You aren't supposed to be running into things until after you've had alcohol."

Cisco laughed and shrugged.

"Hopefully this time there'll be people who can actually sing, last time was horrible." Caitlin said.

"Like you're one to talk." Barry replied, prompting Caitlin to roll her eyes.

Then, someone went onto the stage, and Caitlin got her wish. Though...

"Wait...is that Hartley?" Cisco was incredulous.

It was.

**3\. Expectations by Three Days Grace**

Hartley never had a choice. He was going to grow up and take over the family business. He never had any other option.

It didn't matter that he loved music, enjoyed science, liked people in the abstract but had no real ability to handle them.

Apparently, what did matter was that he was gay. Because, unlike his deafness or near blindness, his parents couldn't fix that.

Suddenly, Hartley could do whatever he wanted.

He didn't like it as much as he'd have expected to.

**4\. Breathe in, breathe out by Set it off**

He snapped awake, breathing heavily. He'd had another nightmare. And he was stuck with a former coworker from STAR labs, the one he'd always had a rivalry with.

He tried to regulate his breathing, to avoid waking the other up. He was still in disbelief the other thought him so capable of escape that he had to keep watch on him. It was probably just an excuse...

As he reorientated to his surroundings, he realised he must have failed to be quiet enough. The other man was awake, and staring at him with...was that a look of concern?

**5\. The Phoenix by Fall Out Boy**

Hartley Rathaway had walked back into STAR labs, claiming to have intel.

They would have kicked him out right away, he was a Rogue, after all, but Wally had wanted to hear him out. And Barry and Cisco both trusted Wally.

A week later, and they were all regretting that choice. Not because Hartley had been lying. The opposite. Hartley had been telling the truth, and now they were all embroiled in a conflict far larger than any of them. Their lives were in danger.

And though he knew it wasn't Hartley's fault (for once), and they would've gotten involved sooner or later, Cisco still found it so much easier to just blame him.

**6\. Battlefield by Jordin Sparks**

Cisco and Hartley hadn't argued this much for years.

The last argument they'd had had been soon after Hartley reformed. He'd proven himself, but still wasn't quite part of the team.

Then the person they'd been facing had turned out to be Hartley's boyfriend.

His abusive boyfriend.

Cisco had been particularly upset. How could Hartley expect Barry (and him) to trust him when he didn't trust them to help him? Did Hartley just not understand the concept of friendship?

Apparently Hartley hadn't realised Cisco and the others counted him as a friend.

**7\. From Yesterday by 30 seconds to mars**

Hartley Rathaway was an enigma. He claimed to hate Cisco, yet here they were. Together. In bed.

And honestly, the look on his face was one of anything but hatred.

This had become a...habit, much as Cisco hated to admit it. Not that they were doing anything wrong, it wasn't as though they were sleeping together.

Well, they _were_ , but not in that sense.

After defeating Well-Thawne, his name was Thawne-Cisco hadn't been sleeping well. One night, he'd run into Hartley at a club. He'd been close to collapse, and the other had brought Cisco to his house. Laid down with him, and made him sleep. And since then, it'd become habit. Every few nights together at one of their houses or the other's.

**8\. Polka face by Weird Al**

One thing Cisco would've never guessed about Hartley was his love of music. Whenever he came in to help them with some problem or another, he'd been wearing earbuds, always humming. (Apparently the 'dress well' thing only applied to employees in his mind)

Cisco had asked what he was listening to, what type of music he liked.

Perhaps the better question would have been what type of music he didn't like, as Hartley's face lit up and he listed just about every genre Cisco had heard of, and a fair amount he hadn't.

Since that day, Cisco had made sure that whenever they called Hartley to help there was music playing in the lab.

Just because earbuds were a hazard if they got caught on anything, obviously. Not for how content Hartley always looked. Of course not.

**9\. Fake your death by My Chemical Romance**

Hartley was in disbelief. It'd been a year and a half since the Explosion. A few months since the Flash had been seen. And Caitlin was at his doorstep (well, apartment stoop, but still). Asking for help. Explaining he'd been right about Thawne.

Telling him about what had happened to The Flash (Barry Allen, he'd been right about that too).

Telling him Thawne had killed Cisco.

Asking for Hartley's help defeating the speedster.

With a viscous grin, masking any grief, Hartley invited her in.

**10\. Don't you forget about me by Simple Minds**

Cisco Ramon and Hartley Rathaway were neck in neck in their race to become valedictorian. They hated each other, despised each other, were the bitterest of rivals.

So when they ended up together, no one was more surprised than the two themselves.

Hartley's parents had kicked him out for being gay, and he'd apparently been living on the streets for two years. No one had known.

But when Cisco turned eighteen, as promised his parents declared he wasn't their problem.

He found himself on the streets. Hartley had come across him. Been surprisingly sympathetic and helpful.

Things had evolved from there, until it was a couple giving the valedictorian speech.

**Author's Note:**

> And that would be the end of this round, folks. Nine is a particular favorite of mine, which I've actually wanted to write a full-length fic for for a while. (Ugh, I hate it when I have to use a word twice in a row like that). Obviously, being written in >5 minutes each and being pretty much unedited, it's not the best thing I've ever written, but it's complete. So, I hope you enjoyed! Feel free to review with any thoughts and/or questions!


End file.
